The main reason you would want to get Quest Software’s TOAD for MySQL is because it improves productivity by providing an efficient development environment. You see, this is a free development tool that allows you to manage projects, administer a database, extract and search for objects, and more. All the functionality of TOAD for MySQL is provided for the great price of free - TOAD for MySQL is a freeware application.

The minimum system requirements a client needs to meet in order to run TOAD for MySQL are as follows: 1GHz processor, 512Mb of RAM memory, Windows operating system (32 or 64-bit edition, anything from XP up to 7), Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, web browser, PDF viewer. A simple setup wizard will help you get TOAD for MySQL up and running on a Windows-powered client. Once the installation completes, you will be invited to view the Release Notes and to start TOAD for MySQL.

When you launch TOAD for MySQL for the first time, you will be presented with a Configuration Wizard/Layout and Settings prompt. It will inform you that the application can emulate the layout and settings of other products and it will ask you to choose one of the following options: Default, Toad for Oracle, MS Query Analyzer, MS Management Studio, SQL Navigator, Toad for SQL server, DB2, MySQL, and Custom. Go with the last option, the Custom one, if you want to get greater control over the application’s layout.

Quest Software, now part of Dell, wants to help you get started as fast as possible and get the most out of its application. That is why on the interface you will see buttons for: Video Tutorials (watching short how-to videos), Blogs (access blogs that present how-tos and commentary on the application), Freeware (download other freeware for MySQL), Knowledge Base (MySQL knowledge base), and Discussions (collaborate with other users and the dev team).

From a functionality point of view, TOAD for MySQL offers the following features: version control integration, macro recording and playback, database browser, code snippet editor, security manager, SQL editor, multi-tabbed schema browser, DB extract and compare & search utility, import & export utility. With the features of TOAD for MySQL, you will be able to rapidly create and execute queries, more efficiently develop SQL code, and automate database object management.

Go get TOAD for MySQL if you want a tool that works as advertised, has very useful functionality to offer, and can boost your productivity.

Pros The system requirements for running TOAD for MySQL are not very high. During the setup process you can register TOAD for MySQL with numerous file extensions. You are presented with a prompt to choose one of several layouts and settings; there’s a Custom option that gives you greater control over the application’s layout. TOAD for MySQL comes with a nice set of features that can prove to be very useful to anyone who works with databases. TOAD for MySQL is a free development tool. There are helpful resources you can access.